Reading the grid

Every starting hand in one picture: pairs, suited and offsuit.

The grid looks like a lot the first time. It's a simple pattern: one square for each kind of starting hand, set out so the best hands sit in the top-left corner. Once you see the pattern, you'll read any range at a glance.

In short

Every starting hand has one square: 169 squares in all.
Pairs run down the diagonal, from aces at the top left to deuces at the bottom right.
Suited hands (both cards the same suit) sit above the diagonal; offsuit hands sit below it.
The further up and left a square is, the stronger the hand.

Three areas

The rows and columns both run A, K, Q, J, T (ten), 9 and down to 2. Each square is where its two ranks meet.

AAAKsAQsAJsATsA9sA8sA7sA6sA5sA4sA3sA2sAKoKKKQsKJsKTsK9sK8sK7sK6sK5sK4sK3sK2sAQoKQoQQQJsQTsQ9sQ8sQ7sQ6sQ5sQ4sQ3sQ2sAJoKJoQJoJJJTsJ9sJ8sJ7sJ6sJ5sJ4sJ3sJ2sAToKToQToJToTTT9sT8sT7sT6sT5sT4sT3sT2sA9oK9oQ9oJ9oT9o9998s97s96s95s94s93s92sA8oK8oQ8oJ8oT8o98o8887s86s85s84s83s82sA7oK7oQ7oJ7oT7o97o87o7776s75s74s73s72sA6oK6oQ6oJ6oT6o96o86o76o6665s64s63s62sA5oK5oQ5oJ5oT5o95o85o75o65o5554s53s52sA4oK4oQ4oJ4oT4o94o84o74o64o54o4443s42sA3oK3oQ3oJ3oT3o93o83o73o63o53o43o3332sA2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22

Pairs: the diagonalSuited: above itOffsuit: below it

The grid's three areas. Every range in the app is drawn on this grid.

Pairs: where a rank meets itself. AA is the top-left corner, 22 the bottom-right.
Suited: above the diagonal, marked with an s. AKs is ace-king of the same suit.
Offsuit: below the diagonal, marked with an o. AKo is ace-king of different suits.

Ace-king appears twice, once on each side of the diagonal. Suited and offsuit play differently: suited hands can make flushes, so they're a little stronger.

Quick check

Where is 76s, seven-six suited?

Above the diagonal
On the diagonal
Below the diagonal

Show the answer

Above the diagonal. Suited hands sit above the diagonal. 76s is in the 7 row, under the 6 column.

Combos: why some squares count more

A square is a kind of hand, but each kind can be dealt in several ways. Those ways are called combos:

Kind	Ways to deal it	Example
A pair	6	A♠A♥, A♠A♦, A♠A♣, A♥A♦, A♥A♣, A♦A♣
Suited	4	one for each suit
Offsuit	12	every mix of two different suits

169kinds of starting hand: the squares

1,326ways to be dealt two cards: the combos

That's why an offsuit square counts three times as much as a suited one.

Aces and ace-king: 22 combos. Six of AA, four of AKs and twelve of AKo.

Quick check

Which can be dealt more ways: AKs or AKo?

AKs
AKo
The same number

Show the answer

AKo. AKo can be dealt 12 ways and AKs only 4, because there are more ways to mix two suits than to match one.

Reading a range

A range is the group of hands a player could have, shaded on the grid. A tight range is a small patch in the top-left corner:

A tight range: 94 combos, about 7% of hands. Big pairs and big aces.

A loose range spreads down and to the right, into smaller cards and more offsuit hands. You saw that with the Nit's button open in the last guide.

Try it

When you're dealt a hand, find its square: pairs on the diagonal, suited above, offsuit below. When you make a read in the app, you paint a range on this same grid.